Berkshire doctors prescribing ‘too many’ antibiotics as experts warn one in five shouldn’t be given out

At least 20 per cent of all antibiotics prescribed in primary care in England are inappropriate

12 March 2018

Public Health England and the Government are working to reduce the number of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics. Credit PA

By Claire Miller

GPs in Bracknell Forest are significantly more likely to prescribe antibiotics than in other parts of England - as experts warn a fifth of prescriptions nationally could be inappropriate.

Doctors in primary care in Bracknell Forest gave out the equivalent of 1.20 prescription items per person in 2016, even when the data is adjusted to account for variations in the age and sex of the local population.

Overall, the rate of prescribing was 12 per cent higher than the England rate of 1.08 prescriptions per adjusted person.

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Wokingham also had a significantly higher prescription rate than England, at 1.10 per adjusted person, while it was 0.94 per adjusted person in West Berkshire, and 0.98 per adjusted person in Reading, Berkshire.

However, all the areas have reduced levels of antibiotic prescribing compared to in 2015, down from 1.22 prescription items per person in Bracknell Forest, 0.96 in West Berkshire, 1.04 in Reading, and 1.16 in Wokingham.

Comparisons between different areas, adjusted to take into account differences in population, can be useful in targeting efforts to reduce comparatively high levels of prescribing.

In order to fully appreciate antimicrobial prescribing, it is necessary to take into consideration demographic characteristics of the population as it may influence levels of prescribing. For that reason, the data, from Public Health England (PHE), is adjusted for both age and sex.

"I urge all practices to look at ways they can reduce their inappropriate prescribing levels to help make sure the antibiotics that save lives today can save lives tomorrow."

Research published by PHE on Tuesday, February 27 in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy showed that at least 20 per cent of all antibiotics prescribed in primary care in England are inappropriate.

PHE said the research implies that antibiotic prescribing nationally should be reduced by 10 per cent by 2020, in accordance with the national ambition to cut levels of inappropriate prescribing in half.

"Using antibiotics when you don’t need them threatens their long term effectiveness"

Professor Paul Cosford, PHE Medical Director said: “Antibiotics are critical to modern medicine, saving millions of lives since the 1940s when they were first introduced.

"Using antibiotics when you don’t need them threatens their long term effectiveness and we all have a part to play to ensure they continue to help us, our families and communities in the future.

“This publication highlights the role GPs can play and I urge all practices to look at ways they can reduce their inappropriate prescribing levels to help make sure the antibiotics that save lives today can save lives tomorrow.”

Antibiotics are important for treating serious bacterial infections, but their effectiveness is threatened by antibacterial resistance.

Watch the Keep Antibiotics Working campaign video

Antibiotics are unique among drugs as the more they are used, the less effective they become and over time resistance develops.

In response to this, the UK government set an ambition to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by 50 per cent by 2020.

This research sought to quantify the amount of current antibiotic prescribing that is inappropriate.

"We need to go further and faster otherwise we risk a world where superbugs kill more people a year than cancer"

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP said: “Drug-resistant infections are one of the biggest threats to modern medicine and inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics is only exacerbating this problem.

“We are leading the world in our response. Since 2012, antibiotics prescribing in England is down by 5 per cent and we’ve invested more than £615 million at home and abroad in research, development and surveillance.

"But we need to go further and faster otherwise we risk a world where superbugs kill more people a year than cancer and routine operations become too dangerous.”